Darkest Prision Sheds the Light
by MYSTIC1
Summary: Mia goes to help a lord in the nether world and inadvertantly gets Sage into a lot of trouble. Finished!
1. Default Chapter

One year after the defeat of Talpa  
In Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
A shrill scream peirced through the silence of the night. Nights had been quiet for a while and Arden expected this to   
happen again sooner or later. The youja sighed, once again feeling powerless. The teenager was begging for mercy as   
memories of the horrible events that occured in Talpa's castle came to haunt him in his sleep. Nearly ten years passed since   
Arden found Seisuke wandering the streets in Talpa's Dynasty. Beliving the human child to be one of the prophecied Ronin   
Warriors, Talpa ordered one of his warlords to blind him and discard him out onto the streets. Seisuke would have starved to   
death or died of disease if Arden did not take him away from the horrid place.  
At first, believing that Talpa came close to destroying the ronins before they were able to wear the armors, Arden   
raised Seisuke to be a ronin warrior until he learned that Sage was still alive and the prophecy was fully intact. It was   
prophecied that five warriors would be born who would fight Talpa. The prophecy never said who would win. By that time a   
parental bond already formed so Arden continued to raise Seisuke and tried to make his life easier.  
The screams stopped abruptly and Arden slowly opened the door slightly to peer inside. The human was sitting   
upright in bed and trembling, hands entangled in his blonde hair as small whimpers escaped from his throat. He just wished there   
was something he could do to make those memories go away...  
  
The next morning  
Rei Faun household  
  
"I didn't know you'd be willing to help babysit. Thanks."  
Sage nodded curtly and walked farther into the house. In truth he needed something to distract him from his own   
problems and helping Kento babysit his siblings was the perfect diversion. Sage's mother was already getting into one of those   
depressing moods and his birthday was far away. Usually, she would start being sad a week before his birthday and her   
unhappy mood would increase, reaching a peak on his birthday and then tapering off for a week afterwards.  
Just then, one of Kento's younger siblings started wailing for attention. After eventually calming the toddler down,   
they found some cartoons for the other children to watch and fixed lunch to keep the children even more occupied. All thoughts  
of the impending doom vanished.  
"So, what are you planning to do for your birthday?" Kento wondered.  
"Hm, I don't know. It's in a month, isn't it?" The sense of doom returned.  
"Yeah."  
Sage shrugged. His mind was drifting to things that he prefered not to think about. "It is just another day only I am  
another year older."  
"What do you mean? You don't get anything special? No presents or cake?"  
"Not really."  
"Hmph."  
Sage sighed. If only he knew what really happened all those years ago. Perhaps if he remembered that tragic   
incident more clearly, he would be able to understand. Unfortunately, it was one blurred jumble. He remembered arguing with   
the police that the kidnappers weren't wearing camoflauge. However, perhaps the criminals were wearing camoflauge. Sage   
also remembered comparing camoflauge jackets to what the kidnappers wore and acknowledging that the colors were very   
similar. But what about the smoke? Or did he imagine smoke? Something about those blurred memories seemed strangely  
familar...  
  
Later that morning  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Arden groaned inwardly. Lord Seisuke was in a foul mood from the previous night's dreams and was tyrantically   
ordering his servants around. Arden helped the blind teenager rise up to the status of a lord. They attacked and killed a   
politically unimportant lord and took over that land. They were allied with SaberStryke and inherited his land when he died.   
Then, they began snatching up land that belonged to the other lords as those lords were being killed off by the ronin warriors.   
After Talpa was finally killed, Seisuke was eager to go to war with Lord Ryuuzou and claim more land, but Kayura and the   
former warlords prevented anymore bloodshed from occuring. Lord Seisuke would not enjoy hearing what Arden had to say.  
"My lord, I have something of... importance to speak with you about." The youja knew he was treading on   
dangerous ground.  
"What is it?" he snapped irritably, scowling.  
"It... I think there maybe a way to restore your sight." Arden braced himself for the explosion, but none came.  
"Hm... Darkest prision sheds the light..."  
"Yes." was all the youja could say. Seisuke was calm when he should be raging and was therefore more   
frightening. Perhaps if Seisuke was able to see again, he would stop getting nightmares.  
"How do you plan on freeing me from my prision?"  
"Well," Another subject to dread, "Lady Kayura has the Ancient's staff and I am certain she will be willing to help  
you."  
He snarled like an animal as his fists clenched tightly. "How can she help me?" he growled, "She took the place of   
that Ancient and what good has he done? He gave my armor to that incompetent fool."  
"Please, I assure you, my lord. Lady Kayura would be willing to help if we just ask her..." Arden tried to sound   
reassuring and let the sentence trail off for the human to ponder what he said.  
"Very well. Send a messanger to her castle."  
  
Late Afternoon  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Lord Seisuke sat on his throne, waiting impatiently for Kayura to arrive. He meditated, but more to pass the time   
quicker (meditation has a habit of doing that) than to be at peace with himself and the world. Then, he heard footsteps   
approaching and the rings of the Ancient's staff. The rings of the staff muted out the footsteps, but he could still tell that Kayura   
was approaching. People hold the staff differently depending on their weight and body shape. Therefore the staff sounds   
different when a different person holds it.  
He heard her gasp slightly. He sensed that she was slightly shocked. Apparently she now knew what he looked   
like. "I only look like him," he told her stiffly, "but I am not him."  
"Um, right." Her voice was light and airy. "I... I'm sorry though. I don't know what I can do, but I will try."  
"Hmph. How can you cure someone who has been as completely blinded as I?" Then, he said more to himself than   
to her, "Darkest prision sheds the light."  
"I- I will do my best," she said uneasily, scared. Her sandals clattered a little on the floor as she knelt down and   
placed the staff in front of her. The staff reverberated quietly at first, but the humming increased as a soft heat filled the room.  
The gentle warmth was comforting and he allowed himself to relax, letting the spiritual warmth to seep into his mind.   
Ten years passed since his sight was taken away. What would sight be like? He forgot the names of the colors. What did   
colors look like? There was a whole world around him that he knew nothing of. He eagerly awaited the chance to learn about   
that world. The heat ebbed away, stopped, and his eagerness instantly transformed into furious impatience. The dark was still  
the only thing that he was able to see. "Well?"  
"I'm sorry," Kayura panted. Seisuke smelled sweat. "But there is nothing that I can do... I tried my best."  
"Then, your best is worthless!" he snapped suddenly and growled, "Leave. Now."  
"I'm sorry," she said again, stood up, and headed for the door.  
Arden blocked the exit, "Wait!"  
"What is it?" Seisuke demanded.  
"Lady Kayura," the youja tried to sound humble. He did not want to rise the teenager's hopes only to have those   
hopes collaspe miserably. "Do you know anyone who, if not have the power to cure my lord, would be able to research or find   
some means to cure him?"  
Seisuke tapped his fingers on the arm-rest of his throne while Kayura thought about the question.  
"I suppose Mia Koji would be able to find a way," Kayura admitted slowly.  
"Who is she?" Seisuke grumbled sourly.  
"She helped the Ronin Warriors-"  
"I want nothing to do with the Ronin Warriors!" he demanded forcefully.  
"My lord!" Arden pleaded, "She might be the only one who is capable of freeing you from your prision!" He  
paused, stunned by what he said. The words came so naturally to him and he said it without thought... freeing from prision...  
Nevetheless, those words worked. "Send a messanger to the mortal world and ask her to come here." Seisuke   
sounded strangely... optimistic?  
"Yes, my lord."  
Kayura raised an eyebrow curiously. What was going on? All these references to the poem part for the armor of   
Halo... The entire situation was creeping her out. She wanted to have some control over the situation and make sure everything   
was going peacefully. "I would like to be the messanger."  
"Arden shall accompany you."  
"Very well."  
  
Mia's home  
The next day, early afternoon  
  
Mia was more than just surprised to see Kayura and a youja appear in her home. She was ready to flee, but seeing  
that Kayura had the Ancient's staff and the youja was in a relaxed stance, she realized they meant no harm. After Kayura   
explained a little about Seisuke, Mia called the ronins to come over so that Kayura would tell them the same story and her   
decision will be made.  
Within a half hour, all the Ronin Warriors were assembled. The presence of a youja made them nervous and they   
were ready to don their armors at a moment's notice. Having already told Mia, Kayura let Arden talk to the ronins.  
"I work for Lord Seisuke," he said evenly, trying not to stare at Sage especially the ronin's crystal blue eyes. "Many   
years ago, he was captured by Talpa and was blinded." If Seisuke wasn't captured by Talpa... Sage's eyes were a pale crystal   
blue. "Now that Talpa is dead and the nether world is at peace, Lord Seisuke wishes to regain his sight. Lady Kayura," he   
gestured to the new ancient, "tried to help him, but was unable to." Kayura nodded.  
"And you think Mia will be able to help him?" Ryo asked incredulously. Down to the basic truth, Mia had no   
special powers; nothing. If Kayura was unable to help him, then how could Mia help him?  
"I could do some research on mystical items and spells," she said defensively in spite of herself.  
Arden nodded, "That is what we were hoping for." he looked at Mia, "You will have to stay and research in the   
castle until his condition is cured."  
"I think I can handle that."  
Rowen wondered, "What if this is a trap?"  
The youja said, "I assure you, this is not a trap."  
"He is telling the truth," said Sai.  
Ryo sighed. He was so used to thinking of youja as the enemy and Mia is asked to help them? Didn't quite make   
sense. He looked at Mia for her input.  
"I would like to help out," she admitted. Perhaps this would also relieve tensions between the ronins and the nether   
world. Still, she was nervous about leaving even if she was gone for a short while.  
"It's your decision to make," said Rowen.  
"I'll go." 


	2. chapter2

Thank you everyone who reviewed my fanfic with good reviews! ^_^ I really hope you enjoy this part! and I hope it's not too   
plot-revealing yet... ^_^  
  
  
noon  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Seisuke stopped his meditation as the door opened and Arden announced that Mia  
Koji arrived. Upon her arrival, her stuff would be sent to her room and she would be  
taken to the throne room to meet him. "Let her in."  
He heard a new pattern of footsteps and a new breathing pattern enter the room.   
Her movements were not subdued like the movements of the human servants. Everyone,  
humans and lesser Youja, were intimidated by him. She was surprised, but not frightened.   
She stood still in stunned silence.  
The silence irritated him, but he was determined to remain calm in front of the  
person who would be able to heal him. He was not his brother! "How do you plan to  
give me my sight?"  
He sounded exactly like him! "I'm sorry, but you just remind me so much of a  
friend of mine. It's difficult to think of you as-" Her accent was a mixture of French and  
Japanese.  
"I understand. Now, how do you plan to free me from my prison?"  
How can he be cured?, Mia wondered worriedly. He's so obviously blind. True,  
Sage was able to cure Ryo when he was blinded by Sekhmet's venom and medical science  
would have failed, but Ryo... "Well, I brought my laptop with me to do some research. I  
was told that I should still be able to gain access to the Internet because of the energies in  
this world."  
"Er, I am unfamiliar with the technologies in the mortal world." Seisuke had been  
secluded from his homeworld for so long... Seclusion was yet another level of darkness in  
his prison...  
"Well, a laptop is a computer that can be carried easily and used anywhere. It-"   
Did he even know what a computer was? How much did he know about the mortal  
world?  
"Anyway, I suppose you need sometime to get used to the castle before any  
procedures can be done. Arden, give her a tour of the castle."  
"Yes, my lord."  
Then, he said to Mia, "I expect results from your research the day after  
tomorrow."  
She nodded and said, "Yes, sir" so not to be offensive instead of just saying,  
"Okay"  
  
Mia was the first guest to stay in the castle. She was born and raised in the mortal  
world plus she knew all about the Ronin warriors. Arden had a strange feeling that she  
would change things around the castle even if that was not her intention.  
"You must be careful around Lord Seisuke," the Youja told her as he guided her  
through some parts of the castle. "He-... did not have a comforting time in Talpa's castle  
and tries to make life just as difficult for everyone here if not more difficult."  
Considering what he unmistakably went through, Mia really did not understand  
how Seisuke could make life just as hard. She shuddered at the sight of him. As they  
went to another part of the castle, she asked, "How did he come to the nether world?"   
Seisuke was a human and all humans originated from the mortal world.  
His past was a topic Seisuke did not like to talk about or have discussed. "When  
Talpa first attacked the mortal world a thousand years ago, hundreds of humans returned  
with him when he was defeated." Well, that fact was truth.  
"And Seisuke is descended from them?"  
Fortunately for Arden and unfortunately for Mia, they reached their next goal  
destination. "Here's the library."  
"Has anyone found any spells or information in here?" she wondered, walking  
inside and glancing at the numerous scrolls.  
"No one has ever really looked here before," he admitted.  
  
late noon  
Cemetery, mortal world  
  
Sage sighed and reread the words on the tombstone. This was the first time that  
he visited the grave by himself. This was the first time he really wanted to visit the grave.   
Six feet under there was a coffin, but no body.  
He said aloud to the grave, "If you are dead, quit hiding." His body was never  
found like he vanished into thin air. "If you are alive, come back. On our birthday, the  
only person mother talks about is you. She always talks about you. It's my birthday too!   
You have been dead for ten years, right? Everyone mourned and moved on. I am still  
alive. I can do things other than just lay there like you so why can't they talk about me?"   
Sage sighed again. Guilt immediately filled his mind. "I just wish I knew what happened.   
All mother probably really wants is to understand... I never thought about that event ten  
years ago until now and something about it seems familiar..." Was his brother even dead  
like everyone thought?  
  
early afternoon  
Ryo's home  
  
"Don't worry. I'm sure she's okay," Rowen spoke in an attempt to calm the pacing  
bearer of wildfire. The four Ronins in the room were sitting down except for Ryo.  
"But... she's in the Nether World! In a youja's palace!" he finally stood still.  
"But the nether world is supposed to be safe now. Kayura is the new ancient and  
we have to trust her," Rowen said logically.  
"Besides," Sai added, "She did say that she would be able to send us mail. I'm not  
too sure how that'll work, but..."  
"Something about this doesn't feel right. And where's Sage?"  
Kento shrugged, "I dunno. Was he supposed to be here? He's been acting weird  
lately." Sage rarely paid any attention to whatever they happen to be talking about.  
"What do you mean, 'weird'?" Ryo wondered.  
"I dunno. It's like he's hiding something from us. My siblings hid things from me  
all the time so now I can tell when a person is hiding something." Sage always seemed to  
be lost in thought now. What was he thinking about? He rarely talked to anyone.  
"Yeah, he's gotten alot more serious lately too," said Rowen.  
"It's his birthday soon, isn't it?" Sai wondered. "Do you think that's got anything to  
do with it? He's turning fifteen."  
"He should be happy on his birthday!" Kento exclaimed. "But then again, it's just  
another day to him. But anyway, fifteen is not old. Fifty is old, not fifteen. Why should  
he be sad about turning fifteen?"  
  
Midnight  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Mia always could not sleep through her first night in a strange place. She had  
always been that way, staying awake for sleepovers with her friends and staying awake  
after moving into another house or apartment. This was no exception.  
She wrote a letter to her friends, the ronin warriors. Then, she checked the coffee  
in the kettle. The coffee was chillingly cold. A few hours earlier, she asked the servant  
that was appointed to her to bring her a large pot of coffee so that she would not disturb  
the sleeping servants throughout the night when her cup was empty. She started the fire  
once again in the fireplace and underneath the kettle.  
Then, she worked on her laptop. She skimmed through her grandfather's work,  
but found nothing. Many of the scrolls in the library were written in ancient text and she  
had to look for sites that had translations. She had some sites bookmarked, but half of  
them did not have any of the needed information or were temporarily shut down. She was  
forced to go through several search engines and quickly remembered that search engines  
are pieces of crap. What could she do, but get a headache? Nevertheless, she continued  
her valiant journey.  
  
Dawn, the next day  
Ryo's home  
  
"What is it, White Blaze?" Ryo yawned. The tiger was impatient to go outside,  
but Ryo had all the time in the world and he was using that time leisurely. He wondered if  
Sage was all right. The ronin warrior of Halo was mysteriously quiet and would not talk  
to anyone about what was bothering him. In fact, Sage avoided the topic. Finally  
finishing the trip downstairs and across the living room, Ryo went outside with his tiger.   
They saw a nether solider.  
Ryo instinctively put his subarmor on. The soldier was apparently waiting for  
them, but had no weapons. The lesser youja held up a small tan piece of paper. So, this  
was the mail service. Ryo tentatively edged closer and snatched the paper up and glanced  
at it when the youja disappeared. He got a letter from Mia.  
  
A few moments later  
  
"Man, this is just weird," said Kento. They were all assembled in Ryo's house.   
The ronin warrior of Wildfire called everyone to come over so that they would read the  
letter together.  
"Well, let's read it," said Rowen. Sai agreed.  
" 'kay," Ryo opened the letter and the others crowded around him to read over his  
shoulders. The summary of the letter is this:  
Everything seemed to be going fine. She was nervous about being in a new place,  
but that was to be expected. She had servants and a slightly furnished room. Everyone in  
the castle was nice to her.  
Sage read near the bottom of the letter where she described what Seisuke looked  
like. His face paled considerably. The air in the room felt suddenly very cold. This was  
much more than just a coincidence, so much more...   
  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Seisuke was dozing more than sleeping and therefore he could be awakened very  
easily. Whenever he actually slept, those memories would come to haunt him. His past  
was something that should be forgotten.  
The door creaked open. "What is it, Arden?" Seisuke grumbled.  
"It's about Mia Koji. She wants to talk to you."  
"Why?"  
"I don't know."  
"Hmph. Well, you are good for a lot of things," he muttered sarcastically as he  
pulled the covers away and proceeded towards her room. How dare she order him  
around! He killed and slaughtered in order to obtain his rank as a lord and she thinks she  
can just boss him around? He pushed his irritability away. Might as well let this slide.   
She was the only one he knew who would restore his vision. He had the entire layout of  
the castle memorized so he was able to go to her room with no problems.  
"Ah. Good, you're here," she said when he opened her door and walked inside. "I  
need to ask you some questions."  
"What questions?" he wondered as he heard several numerous unfamiliar clicking  
sounds.  
"Well," Mia reopened the essay page full of general information about mystical  
items and spells. She accidentally closed the page earlier and had to retype the url which  
she fortunately remembered. "Some spells and items are only effective against certain  
things like some stuff can only cure venom-induced blindness so, well... I need to know  
how you were blinded."  
"What!" He relived the torture in his dreams. Why was he being asked to  
consciously resurface those horrid events? Scowling, he stormed towards the door.  
"If I don't know what happened, if I won't be able to help you!"  
"Can't you see what happened?" he growled, facing her so that she saw his marred  
face.  
"Who did that to you?" She said in nearly a whisper, near tears. Seisuke was so  
young; younger than her. She got the impression that he lost his vision a long time ago,  
perhaps when he was Yuli's age? Younger? She couldn't imagine something so terrible  
could happen to someone so young...  
"A warlord," he answered simply and left, slamming the door behind him. The  
memories were already resurfacing. He was screaming, pleading, begging for mercy, but  
the warlord enjoyed causing innocents to suffer under cruel torture. The blade dug deep  
into his eyes and then darkness... He was so alone and so scared of the dark.... darkness  
was all that he saw... Darkest prison sheds the light! But where is the light? 


	3. Chapter3

Hi! Sorry that it took so long, but this chapter is twice as long as the first one! ^_^ Anyway, Read and Review please! I love   
Reviews!  
  
Morning  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
He finally managed to shove those pained thoughts aside and then decided that he  
was perfectly fit to start the day off with his usual routine like nothing happened. He  
ordered the cook to fix him some breakfast and began to eat alone in the nearby dining  
room. He was always alone, but he was accustomed to solitude. He idly remembered a  
time when he was scared to be all by himself, but now he didn't want anyone to get near  
him.  
He heard Mia approaching. What did she want? Then, he noticed a smell and  
realized that she was carrying her own small plate of food. Everyone has to eat sometime.  
"Oh. I didn't know you were here," she said in a apologetic tone. "Would you  
want me to leave?"  
"Whatever."  
That vague word could go either way. Mia would rather not make the long trip  
back to her room in order to eat. "Is it okay if I sit here?"  
Judging by the distance of her voice, he figured she was referring to a spot a few  
chairs away from him. Seisuke really didn't care if she sat near him as long as she was  
quiet and didn't try to engage him in a conversation. "Fine."  
"Thank you." She set her plate on the table, pulled out the chair, and sat down  
exactly where Seisuke thought she would sit. "I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't  
know it would upset you so much."  
He shrugged, mentally shielding himself from any unwanted memories. "Pain is  
only a constant factor in life." Silence had a short-lived victory. An entire decade passed  
since he was stolen away from his homeworld and he basically knew nothing about it.   
"Tell me about the mortal world."  
"Um, well, that's a broad subject. Anything specific you would like to know?"   
She was startled by his sudden eagerness to talk.  
"Tell me about the technology." She was typing on her laptop computer earlier  
and he never heard such sounds before. What else about the mortal world was he  
unaware of?  
That was still a broad subject. She remembered trying to explain the same topic to  
Anubis during one of the few calm moments when Talpa attempted his second invasion.   
One answer merely resulted in another question. Best to start with the basics. "Well,  
electricity powers nearly all of the technology. I can't think of where electricity comes  
from off the top of my head. Anyway, the mortal world is just completely technological."   
She decided to start explaining the machines that are the most alien to this world.   
"There's television. It-"  
"I remember that," he interrupted. "I remember television and cars..." Seisuke  
sighed. Nothing else came to mind and he barely remembered those two machines.   
Everything about his world was so foreign... Sage was so lucky...  
His response was unexpected. "You were born in the mortal world?" Mia  
wondered. How else would he know about such inventions?  
"Yes. Tell me about computers," he changed the discussion back to the original  
topic.  
Explaining all the other stuff was easier now that she knew he was familiar with  
some of the other machines. Seisuke, at this time an unusually avid listener, displayed  
total interest in her words. Save this occasion, he briefly acknowledged and usually  
dismissed what everyone said. She was talking about the mortal world, his homeworld,  
the world he was stolen from, the world he would never see again...  
Approaching footsteps jarred him out of his reminiscence. "Something important,  
Arden?"  
"Lady Kayura scheduled peace talks for the day after tomorrow. You are  
supposed to attend."  
Could this day get any worse? Seisuke sighed defeatedly, "Very well. What is on  
the agenda?"  
Mia interrupted them, "You make peace talks sound like a bad thing, but they're a  
chance to prevent anymore hostilities."  
The day suddenly got worse and better at the same time. "Truly, how big is the  
chance that my enemies will become my allies?"  
"Well, anything is possible. Anubis-"  
"The warlord of cruelty was everyone's enemy," Seisuke nearly growled. "All of  
my old enemies were killed because of the Ronin Warriors. If I had the armor, if I was  
one of them my vengeance would be complete."  
  
A short while later  
Mia's room in the castle  
  
Mia was freaked. Well, who wouldn't be? She never expected Seisuke to react  
the way he did. Immediately after his latest outburst, she ran to her room. Arden  
followed and started to apologize for his lord's behavior.  
"Just don't worry about it," Mia said tersely. She sighed, mentally tired. "Has he  
always had these... mood swings? Everytime I mention something his attitude changes  
drastically. He's like a live wire ready to snap at any moment."  
Arden nodded, "Yes." He reminded himself that Mia was unaccustomed to  
evading Seisuke's violent outbursts. This was only her first actual day in the castle.  
Mia sighed again. "Do you think that Anubis was the warlord who - who blinded  
him?" His face was hideously disfigured. She couldn't even begin to imagine how  
agonizing the experience must have been and she didn't want to think that Anubis was  
capable of such actions. The former warlord was so different after he quit working for  
Talpa...  
  
Late night  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Seisuke rested his head on the pillow and pulled the covers close. He was so  
alone... He mentally berated himself for such feelings. This was how the nightmares  
usually started. He would reflect on his cursed state while falling asleep. He tried to  
redirect his thoughts, but no success. He was so frightened. Just so frightened.  
Sharp sparks of pain reawoke the dull buises that he recieved from a Dynasty  
soldier as he was slammed against the floor. A large metal-covered foot pressed against  
his back and pinned him down. Where were his parents? Did they know where he was?   
He didn't want to be here. What were these monsters going to do to him? He wanted to  
run home. Run home and remain in the safe comfort of his family. But he couldn't get  
up. The warlord wouldn't let him.  
The warlord reported that here was one of the "potential ronin warriors." Ronin  
Warrior? What? He didn't understand. He just wanted to go home... get away from this  
place and stay home with his family... but he couldn't get up. Tears began to fall freely,  
soaking his skin. He didn't want anything to do with this! Why were these people hurting  
him!?  
He heard Talpa order the warlord about what to do with him. He felt cold with  
shock. No! Why? The warlord wouldn't really do that, right? No, no, please no... The  
warlord lifted his foot off of him and he started to run away, but the warlord forcefully  
kicked him down. The air escaped from his lungs as he collasped. no... Then, the  
warlord yanked him up by his hair. He was too beaten and dizzy to cry out.   
Being held by his hair, he was taken into another room. Realizing that the warlord  
fully intended to follow orders, he struggled to free himself from the monster's grip. No!   
No! The warlord tossed him hard onto a table and slashed open the side of his face. The  
agony paralyzed him. please don't... please don't...  
Then, the warlord pinned him against the table with one hand and held the sharp  
weapon with the other hand. Please don't.... please don't... please... the warlord poised  
the blade of the weapon against his left eye. please don't... then...  
  
After hours of searching online, she needed to exercise. Mia was walking through  
the halls when she heard shrill screams. Worried, she followed the sounds to Seisuke's  
room. Arden was guarding the closed door like nothing was wrong.  
"What's going on?" she demanded the youja to answer. Why was Seisuke  
screaming?  
"This is normal. You shouldn't be alarmed." Seisuke was still screaming only  
now his cries worsened and then stopped abruptly.  
Mia slightly pushed the youja aside enough to open the door and get inside the  
room. Seisuke was sitting in bed, rocking himself back and forth. His arms were crossed  
over his chest and he was begging with whatever fiend was in the nightmare to end the  
torture. She immediately went near him to comfort him; her maternal nature taking over.  
"Please don't... don't hurt me anymore... please..." he whimpered pitifully. All of  
his anger and arrogance that he displayed earlier was gone. Now, he was like a frightened  
little boy...  
"Sh, don't worry. I won't hurt you," she said softly as she tucked a few strands of  
hair behind his ear. "I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you." He stopped trembling. "I  
won't hurt you," she repeated gentlely a few more times.  
"I'm scared..." he seemed so fragile now...  
"There's no reason to be scared anymore. No one is here to hurt you. You're safe  
now."  
  
Through the slight opening that the mostly closed door provided, Arden watched  
the scene. A couple moments after Mia started to comfort Seisuke, the teenager fell  
asleep. His head rested on her shoulder. No one was able to calm him during one of his  
nightmares, but then again, no one ever tried to calm him down. Arden had no idea what  
to expect, but he certainly didn't expect this. What would happen next?  
  
Morning  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
The first thing he noticed was that he felt peaceful, content, happy... The second  
thing he noticed was that someone was right next to him...  
Startled into complete awareness, he bolted upright in bed. He remembered  
having the same old nightmare, but... it ended differently... He listened intently to the  
other person's breathing pattern. "Mia?" Some stranger witnessed him having one of  
those horrid dreams and then got into his bed!? Where was Arden during all of this?  
"Hm? Yeah?" she said groggily, also just waking up.  
"What are you doing here?" She's a stranger! What if she told someone or one of  
his enemies about his nightmares? They would know about his weakness, know how  
vulnerable he was...  
"I heard you screaming and you were having a bad dream."  
"So? I always have bad dreams. Did I ask you to come into my room?" he said  
arrogantly although he was really grateful...  
"No."  
Seisuke sighed. He just didn't have the ability to be angry at her. Perhaps he  
didn't have the ability to be angry at anyone anymore, or at least for now... "You can go  
now," he said nicely.  
Mia yawned. "Okay." She got up, stretched, and asked him, "Are you going to be  
okay?"  
"Yes," he said quietly. After she left, he thought, everything will be okay, right?   
For the first time in many years, he actually felt hopeful.  
  
Later that morning  
Mia's room in Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
"So, he's always had these nightmares?" Mia asked Arden.  
The youja nodded.  
"Frequently?"  
The youja nodded again.  
She sighed. "I know for a fact that when people are tortured and they don't talk  
about what happened, they relive the torture in their sleep. Those nightmares are most  
likely results from his experiences in the Dynasty."  
The youja nodded yet again.  
"How come you haven't helped him with this?"  
"I wasn't sure what I should do."  
"Well, emotional scars are alot more painful than physical scars. He needs to talk  
to someone about what happened in order for him to stop having these nightmares. I'm  
not saying that they'll suddenly stop, but eventually they will."  
"You better be right. I suppose I should let you do your work then."  
After he left, Mia began reviewing the old bookmarked psychology sites. Arden  
silently just gave her the duty of being psychologist. She accepted the new job and  
wanted to know as much about the human mind as she could.  
She was startled when she realized that someone was unexpectedly at her door.   
Turning around, she saw Seisuke. He was just standing stoically in her doorway.  
"How long were you here?" she wondered.  
"A little less than a minute."  
She wondered why he came to her room and the reason occured to her. "Oh, you  
expected results today. I'm sorry. I haven't found anything yet."  
"That's okay."  
Then why was he here? He sounded strangely humble... Before she could ask  
though, he left.  
  
early evening  
Training room in Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
"Why did you let her into my room?" Seisuke asked Arden as he dodged and  
parried sword blows. He was sparring with the youja. His favorite hobbies were anything  
with swords. Sword sparring was previously the only thing in his life that gave him any  
pleasure.  
"I would not have let her if I thought she would hurt you."  
Seisuke mentally shrugged that off. Arden was always his most trusted. "Anyway,  
I want to know if she can be trusted."  
"Well, Kayura did suggest her-"  
"So? I don't trust Kayura. In all logic, the only people she would report about me  
to are the Ronin Warriors. I want to make sure she doesn't tell them certain things about  
me."  
"Yes, my lord," Arden said without thinking.  
"I want you to accompany me to the mailroom and read what she has to say about  
me."  
The shocked youja forgot he was sparring until Seisuke's sword came within  
inches and he barely parried the weapon away. "You want me to read her mail?"  
"Yes, did I imply something else?"  
"Er, no. You implied nothing else."  
"Good."  
  
Mailroom  
  
Arden felt so embarrassed... He scanned through the letter and said, "She doesn't  
say much about you, but what she does say isn't bad..."  
"But what does she actually say?"  
"She mentions the peace talks for tomorrow and hopes that everything will turn  
out well."  
"Read the whole thing," Seisuke ordered.  
"Yes."  
  
Late evening  
Mia's room  
  
Finally she was making progress!! She modified the two programs that Rowen  
and her grandfather created for finding and analyzing mystical armors. The modified  
programs were searching the entire database on the web to find some mystical/magical  
item that could restore Seisuke's sight. The entire search would take at least a day, but  
most likely longer.  
Someone knocked on her door and she told the person to come in. Turning  
around, she saw Seisuke enter. "Any progress?" he asked quietly.  
"Kinda. I'm using this advanced computer program to search for anything. It  
should find something in a couple days. There's alot of stuff in the world, mostly spells  
and junk that kids put on their sites just for fun. You can sit down if you want. There's a  
chair to your right."  
He reached a hand out to touch the back of the chair, then, guided himself onto the  
seat.  
"Would you want a cup of coffee?" she offered. He didn't seem ready to leave  
soon.  
"Sure."  
"It's a little lukewarm," Mia said as she handed him the cup.  
"That's okay." She was so nice... just so wonderfully nice... She really wouldn't  
hurt him, would she?  
"If you don't mind me asking..."  
"Hm?"  
"How old were you when you left the mortal world?"  
Seisuke took a long drink to calm his thoughts. The familar acidic-like heat flowed  
through his veins. He hated those questions about his past. She didn't mean any harm  
though, did she? "I was five."  
"I'm sorry..." Only five years old!? She thought he was Yuli's age when he was  
blinded, but he was half Yuli's age!  
Seisuke sighed slightly. Why was he saved and not me? The teenager  
remembered experiencing the moment after being blinded completely and that dreadful  
sense of insolation... No, I am NOT going to experience that again! "So, tell me more  
about the mortal world. Tell me about politics." Politics was always an interesting  
subject for him. He was too young to be aware of Japan's goverment when he was stolen  
away...  
Mia explained about democracy, constitutational monarchy, and then she asked  
about the political status of the governments here.  
"hmph, who knows? Kayura might as well become an empress if she is going to  
continue treating everyone like infants. She set up the peace talks for tomorrow. I doubt  
things will turn out well."  
"Wouldn't it be nice if things did turn well? And who is going to attend  
tomorrow?"  
"Besides myself and the people in charge... I'm not sure really." Seisuke yawned,  
"I need to retire for the night." He got up to leave and wondered if Mia should go with  
him in case his nightmares returned. He then banished the thought. He didn't become a  
lord by relying on some civilian for emotional support. He was strong enough to survive  
the night.  
"Good luck with the peace talks tomorrow," she said hopefully.  
Seisuke was not used to hearing encouragements and therefore merely walked out  
instead of responding, but he felt a large amount of gratitude... Perhaps everything will be  
okay?  
  
Noon, the next day  
Kayura's castle  
  
Full of sour hopes, he was guided into the conference room. Kayura was already  
there with Dais and two others near her, most likely Kale and Sekhmet. Lord Ryuuzou  
was also there. As expected, the other two people were startled to see him. Would they  
just get over it already?  
"Now," Kayura spoke matter-of-factly, "The reason why all of us are here is to  
relieve tension between you, Lord Seisuke and Lord Ryuuzou. Dais and I noticed that  
you still have armies stationed around your borders. You need to get rid of those armies."  
Ryuuzou prevented Seisuke from speaking, "I agree with Lady Kayura. After all,  
why have armies when we are never going to go to war? I will relinquish all my armies  
immediately as a sign of trust."  
He was taken aback by the youja's statement. Didn't Ryuuzou believe that once  
an enemy, always an enemy? "Really?" Seisuke said skeptically. After Talpa was finally  
defeated Seisuke attacked Ryuuzou and tried to get his land. "Well, I need my armies for  
protection. I have a hard time trusting people in the dark."  
"It is important that you also remove your armies," Dais spoke to Seisuke. "If all  
of your armies are gone," he said to both lords, "Then, you have nothing to fear from each  
other."  
"Very well," he said tersely. Dais might have the best intentions, but Ryuuzou was  
planning something. Nevetheless, the situation was not in his favor. "My entire army will  
be removed from the border within the week."  
"Good," said Kayura. "We will check later to see if you kept your word."  
The rest of the talk was breif and uneventful. Trade was suggested, but Seisuke  
was against the idea. What was Ryuuzou planning? The meeting ended and he began to  
exit the castle.   
Ryuuzou ran up to speak to him. "I heard that you were attempting to regain your  
sight."  
Why was the youja interested in this? "Yes," he said tentitively.  
"Any progress?"  
He felt a little worried. How would Ryuuzou use this information against him? "It  
would be best if you simply returned to your castle."  
  
Late night, the next day  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Instead of sleeping or having nightmares, he was in the void; a little place in his  
mind leftover from the truamatic events ten years ago that made him oblivious to  
everything around him.  
Seisuke was jarred out of the void when Arden nudged his shoulder to get his  
attention. "What is it?" he said irritably.  
"She has found the promised results."  
  
Mia's room  
  
"Good, you're here. I was afraid you'd be asleep already." Seisuke sat down in  
the same chair and she began to explain. "Because of your, um, condition only one thing  
is able to give you your sight back. That one thing is the armor of Halo."  
"Halo!?" Seisuke nearly shrieked in alarm.  
"Yes, I'm sure that Sage would be willing to help you if you ask him. I'm not too  
sure how it would work out. You'd probably need to duplicate the armor's power."  
"I never expected..."  
"I heard that you wanted nothing to do with the Ronin Warriors, but I'm sure Sage would be willing to help."  
"I have to think about this."  
  
Later  
Seisuke's room  
  
Arden was filled with a sense of foreboding. He overheard the results and now  
Seisuke was comtemplating the situation.  
"It makes sense now," the teenager said calmly. "Darkest prison sheds the light. I  
wondered about if I was destined to... and I am..."  
"My lord?"  
"Think about it. Darkest prison sheds the light. Halo is the only thing that can  
heal me. Darkest prison sheds the light. For well over half of my life, I have been in a  
dark prison- the Darkest Prison that could ever exist. and Halo is Light."  
Seisuke believed that he was the true rightful bearer of the armor of Halo. "I need  
my armor, not a copy."  
Arden knew that only bad things would come out of this, but he cared about  
Seisuke's well-being and always obeyed him. "Yes, my lord."  
"Now, we need to plan how we're going to bring Sage here and take my armor  
away from him." 


	4. chapter4

early morning, the next day  
Cemetary  
  
Something was extremely wrong with Sage. He totally freaked out when he read  
the first letter that Mia sent. The ronins recieved a letter a day and were trying to get into  
the habit of sending letters. Anyway, Sage freaked out which wasn't understandable  
because with all of the billions of genetic codes (humans) in the universe, there were  
bound to be some lookalikes. Perhaps Seisuke was only half-Japanese? Sage's hair color  
and skin tone were frequent in people who had a Japanese parent and a parent from some  
western country.  
Then, they (the other four ronins) confronted Sage about his problem and  
demanded that he talk about it. Sage lost his temper so something was seriously,  
extremely, horrendously wrong because Sage rarely loses his temper. After that, Sage  
started avoiding them. Why was Sage so depressed now, one year after Talpa was finally  
killed, rather than shortly after the final battle.  
Then, they went to his house to apologize for making him so upset. They hoped  
he would be calm and talk to them however he wasn't home. Satuki, his younger sister,  
said that he was most likely in the cemetary, but she didn't say why. When they got to the  
cemetary though Sage wasn't there.   
The day after that (which is when this scene takes place) Kento saw Sage walking  
on the sidewalk. Concerned, the bearer of Hardrock followed him and sure enough, Sage  
went to the cemetary. Fortunately, he found a good hiding place to listen to Sage talking  
to the grave. Now, talking to graves is normal but what Sage said was very unusual.  
"It makes sense now," the blonde said quietly. "The thought of Dynasty  
involvement never occured to me before, but it makes sense now... I guess I just forgot  
nearly the entire attack. It's all one blur. The color of camoflauge is the same color of  
Dynasty soldiers. I just..." Sage sighed. "So much time has passed and I just can't  
imagine what life was like for you. I can't imagine being raised in the nether world. Well,  
I guess I can stop speaking to your empty grave now."  
Kento watched Sage leave and wondering who the ronin was talking about,  
walked over to the grave and read the words on the tombstone. "Here is the burial  
ground of little Seisuke Date whose body was never found. May he always be happy  
wherever he is."  
  
Late morning  
Forest outside of Toyama  
  
Where else could he meditate? The dojo was currently being used and Satuki was  
home so the house was too distracting. He was walking through the forest, searching for  
a good spot to sit down, when he heard a twig snap. Instinctively, he got in a slight  
battle-stance. The forest was so quiet and then a twig snapped loudly. Either Sage was  
just being paranoid or someone was out there. He began to survey his surroundings from  
where he stood, but a thick wall of smoke suddenly surrounded him and blocked his view.   
He instantly donned his subarmor, but was kicked from the back and into the smoke. The  
breath was knocked out of his lungs as he landed face-first in the dirt. He breathed in the  
heavy smoke which made him dizzy and unable to focus. Whoever planned this attack  
was very clever and had been waiting for a long time. He was only vaguely aware of  
being transported through a portal to the nether world before passing out.  
  
Early afternoon  
Dungeon in Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
The room was dark, pitch black, until Sage's eyes adjusted to the amount of light  
coming through the bars of the door. The chains pinning him against the wall were on the  
verge of cutting off circulation in his wrists. Where was he? Who wanted him? He knew  
he wasn't in Talpa's castle. All alone, he contemplated the situation for a couple minutes.   
Then, the door opened and someone started to walk in.  
"S... Seisuke?" the ronin had a strange feeling that his brother was responsible.  
"Sage," his twin acknowleged him. His voice was exactly the same except for the  
tone and he remained in the shadows. "I am sure you are wondering why you are chained  
up. Well, theives rarely return what they have stolen unless they are captured."  
"Theif?" Sage wondered what he could have possibly stolen from his brother who  
he hadn't seen in ten years.  
"Yes, in case you didn't know, you have my armor. Give me my armor." Seisuke  
began to approach him, but Sage could still only see the outline of his twin.  
"You... you mean Halo? You think Halo is yours?" The entire conversation was  
beyond what he could imagine.  
"Of course I mean Halo! Darkest prison sheds the light! That is the poem part for  
the armor of Halo, correct?" Seisuke lit a torch on the wall a few feet away from Sage.  
"Y-yes..." Before the ronin could start to see, he instinctively closed his eyes as  
the lord reached out and touched them.  
"What color are your eyes?" the insane twin wondered, carefully massaging the  
perfectly round organs through the eyelids.  
Oh, god, he never expected this... This just couldn't be happening. His twin was  
insane! and therefore unpredictable. Best to answer rather than anger the madman with  
silence. "Blue, pale blue."  
"Those words mean nothing to me... I've forgotten... I've been in the darkest  
prison for so long..."  
"Seisuke... I'm sorry, but the Ancient One gave me the armor... Halo..."  
"And you think you are worthy to wear the Light!?" He removed his hands from  
Sage's eyes and cupped his hands around the ronin's ears along with fistfuls of hair.   
"Look at me! I used to have eyes before the Dark Warlord of Cruelty plucked them out!"   
Seisuke was at first a mirror-image of Sage. Same blonde hair, same skin tone, same  
stature and size... only now, Seisuke had a huge gaping scar on the right side of his face  
and his eyes were gone. The empty sockets were like those of a skull.  
"Sage, you have no idea what it was like... being forced down, the cold metal  
digging in... inside... The Pain!! and then... my left eye felt numb... he put his weapon  
near my face and... I didn't feel anything... he lifted up his weapon and through... through  
my other eye, I could see my left eye... hanging from the blade of his weapon... then, he...  
he... the same procedure was done to the other-only I didn't get to see that because then  
my prison was complete. For years I wondered why, why, why! But now I understand...   
yes, I understand. Darkest Prison Sheds The Light. You... you have no dark prison. I've  
been living in the Darkest Prison for nearly as long as I can remember..."  
"I'm sorry," was all Sage could say. This was just too much all at once...  
"Please give me my armor... I'm still so very scared of the dark... please... I need  
my armor. Give me my armor."  
"I can't..."  
Seisuke sighed. "I will get my armor." He gained everything that he wanted  
through violence and this was no exception. The insane twin left the room and ordered  
one of his nether soldiers to torture the captive.  
  
The lord briefly wondered why his brother decided to be so difficult. Halo did not  
belong to Sage. He pushed that thought aside and proceeded to move away from the  
dungeon. Seisuke still couldn't see, but at least he wasn't alone now and he never wanted  
to be alone again. "Arden, make sure that Mia never learns my brother is here." He really  
didn't want her to be angry at him.  
"Yes, my lord." The youja now realized all the mistakes that he made trying to  
raise the human child. Seisuke didn't need power, but it was probably too late. What was  
done was done. Too late to change back now. Terrible things will result from this.  
  
Mid-afternoon  
Rei Faun household  
  
Perhaps I should call the others, Kento debated with himself. No wonder Sage  
freaked out! This is even freakier than nether soldiers delievering the mail. Sage has a  
twin who is a lord in the nether world... and Mia is helping that lord out. Nah, I  
shouldn't tell the others. Sage has to be the one to talk.  
Just then, the phone rang. The caller ID said that the call was from Sage's home.   
"Hello," he answered the phone.   
"Have you seen Sage?" came Satuki's worried voice. "He's been gone for nearly  
eight hours and no one else has heard from him. I knew he went to the cemetary and went  
to meditate somewhere after that, but he shouldn't have been gone this long."  
"I saw him at the graveyard this morning, but I don't know anything else."  
"Did you talk to him?"  
"No. I saw him leave though. Nothing looked wrong... have you called anyone  
else?"  
"Um, I called Rowen and Ryo. They don't know anything."  
"K, how about I call Sai and then, I'll you back, okay?"  
"Okay..."  
  
A minute later  
  
Sai didn't know anything either. "I think the nether world might be involved in  
this. Sage always keeps his armor with him so there's no way anything else could beat  
him."  
  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Seisuke was worried and he never worried very often. Mia only agreed to stay  
with him until he got his sight. Once he was able to see, she would leave him. He could  
either have the light or he could have Mia. He didn't want to be alone again. Every day,  
he spoke to her and listened to her. Lately, she asked him about his past and what  
happened to him in Talpa's castle. Although he never displayed his emotions during her  
questions, he realized how violent his temper was. Whenever she questioned him, he  
wanted to scream and break things. Sometimes, he wondered how much longer he could  
control his temper. He never wanted to hurt Mia. Because of her, the nightmares were  
not as bad. He told her about how wonderful sight would be, but he never told that Sage  
was also in the castle. If she knew, she might be angry at him. He didn't want her to be  
angry at him, but maybe after he got his armor she would understand...  
  
Morning, the next day  
Cemetary  
  
Sage never returned and no one heard from him so Kento showed them the grave.   
"Think about it. Sage goes to this grave. The grave of Seisuke Date. They have the  
same birthday. There is a lord in the nether world whose name is Seisuke and who looks  
alot like Sage. Now, Sage is gone."  
Everyone was quiet. The shock was just beginning to wear off. Rowen sighed, "I  
agree that the nether world has something to do with Sage's disappearnce, but I don't  
know what. The mail hasn't arrived yet so let's send a letter to Mia about Sage. If we  
don't get a reply, that's probably cause his evil twin doesn't want her to get suspicious."  
  
Dungeon in Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
Seisuke sighed. He was tired of hearing his brother be tortured. "Sage, why don't  
you just give me the armor?"  
"Because I can't!"  
"Well, why not?"  
"Because my armor is connected to my soul. The only way anyone else can wear  
it is when I'm dead. That's how Anubis died. Kayura wore his armor and that killed  
him."  
Seisuke sighed again. "Very well."  
Arden interviened, "Please, I beg of you to reconsider." Even though he was loyal  
to Seisuke, he respected Sage. Sage was exactly what Seisuke would be like if the  
Dynasty did not capture him and blind him. "If he dies, the Ronin Warriors will be obliged  
to avenge him. You are powerful, but you cannot defeat four warriors at the same time."  
Plus Mia might be even more angry at him. "Fine. Mia found some plans on how  
to duplicate the power of the armor. Go and get that."  
  
After Arden got the information for the procedure, Sage was dragged into another  
room. He was oblivious to everything except the draining of his armor's power and what  
felt like the draining of his soul. He was so exhausted and fell asleep shortly after the  
nether spirits' chanting ending. When Sage woke up and opened his eyes, he was blind. 


	5. Chapter5

Sorry that this took too long. Blame the lateness on school and Bin Ladin. The usual in   
this. More angst and Seisuke-insanity. Reviews are very welcome. There would be more to   
this, but I wanted to hurry up and get the chapter over with.  
  
  
  
  
Seisuke sighed defeatedly. He had the armor of Halo. He was wearing the armor  
and still he was in the darkest. He hoped so much that... he wanted to see again. He  
wanted to see Mia... now... Now what will happen? He couldn't just let Sage go free.   
Sage was blind too. Somehow. He sensed his brother lose his sight. He felt Sage's eyes  
and the eyes felt... limp, dull. He asked Arden about Sage and the youja confirmed his  
thought. Everything went wrong. MIA LIED!! She said the armor of Halo would cure  
him and she LIED!! No, no. Mia would never lie. She was just misinformed. She merely  
said the armor was a possibility, but it was perfectly reasonable that Halo would cure  
him... Darkest prison sheds the light, right? And now Sage is blind too. How morbidly  
ironic. Mia didn't lie. She was just misinformed. Or something went wrong with the  
spell being used to duplicate the armor. Seisuke sighed again. He wanted to be with Mia.   
He wanted her to comfort him, but there were still matters to take care of.  
"What went wrong?" he asked Arden.  
"I do not know, my lord," Arden's voice sounded neutral.  
"I still can't see!" Seisuke started to shout, but stopped himself. Mia might  
overhear and he didn't want to know how she'll react.  
"Perhaps the armor needs to adjust to you or you need time to adjust to the armor.   
Then, you will see."  
Seisuke again sighed defeatedly. "I have no other choice, do I?" Mia didn't know  
about his actions and he wasn't able to explain his armor.  
"No other choice," the youja replied somberly, wishing there was another choice.  
After a moment he said, "Very well." He proceeded to walk to his room, paused,  
and ordered Arden, "Keep Sage in his cell, but make sure he gets proper treatment. Give  
him food, blankets, the usual."  
  
Midnight  
Toyama  
  
Rowen looked up at the stars. In their sub-armors and surrounded by all the tall  
buildings, they were in a dangerous position. If someone saw and recognized them, not  
even their schooldays and days at home will be normal. He set that idle thought aside.   
They had more important matters to deal with. The only known way to enter the nether  
world was using the remnants of the metaphysical bridge that the Ancient One created.   
The gateway closed after Talpa was killed. Mystical items like their armors were able to  
locate and reopen the bridge so they went into Toyama late at the night to avoid being  
seen. Excuses for their absences were set up before they left home when their families  
began to worry.   
"Anyone sense anything?" Kento asked. His kanji of Justice was on the forehead.  
Ryo and Rowen answered in the negative, but Sai yelled out, "I think I found it!   
Commere!"  
They obeyed and sensed it too. Then, focusing the power of their armors on the  
gateway, they reopened it and traveled up. This time however they didn't encounter any  
nether spirits.  
  
  
Morning, the next day  
Dungeon in Seisuke's castle  
  
Sage hated the dark. He always hated the dark ever since those "men in  
camouflage" which were actually Dynasty Soldiers attempted to kidnap him. He pieced  
his fragmented memories with what he now knew. The Ancient One came to stop the  
soldiers and he was dropped in the process. He fell and blacked out. That was when he  
truly hated the dark.  
Now, he was blind. Eternal darkness. The dampness from his prison chilled his  
bones. He tried to calm himself. The events of the past few days were taking a heavy toll  
on his mind. His twin was alive, his twin was a lord in the netherworld, his twin was  
psychotic, his twin was willing to kill him... He tried to meditate and push out any hateful  
thoughts however he did not meditate properly with an open mind. He concluded that  
Seisuke was evil and all evil needed to be destroyed.  
The darkness and the freezing cold stopped him from meditating and intensified his  
already panicked state. Was Mia alright? Oh, God, what if something terrible happened  
to her? No, no. Don't think about useless negative thoughts. Think positively. Perhaps  
Mia was alright and perhaps she would find him... but she would be putting herself into  
danger...  
  
Late Morning  
Kitchen  
  
Mia wanted to get out of her room for a few moments so she decided to eat her  
breakfast in the kitchen. She was in Seisuke's castle for a week now and she was  
currently worrying about the lord. His mind still seemed fragile and usually, he came to  
her to talk about various things. She tried to get him to talk about his family, but gave up.   
He probably didn't remember much about them, having been taken away at such a young  
age. He started to talk about what happened when he was kidnapped although he  
frequently stopped abruptly and changed the subject. She thought progress was being  
achieved however since he talked longer with her about his ordeal.  
A chattering cook and maid took her out of her thoughts. "You know, there might  
be a war soon," said the maid. "Rumors say that Seisuke captured his own brother."  
"His brother is the one in the dungeon? I never heard that."  
"Yeah, a Ronin too. I thought everyone knew that except for her. Makes me  
wonder who'll attack Seisuke first. The other Ronins or Ryuuzou." Mia was going to  
speak up, but decided to remain quiet and unnoticed in order to listen to their complete  
conversation. She believed she was the "her" the maid mentioned and she certainly didn't  
know Seisuke's brother was a Ronin and was captured! Who exactly was captured?   
Sage? Oh, god...  
"I heard that soon this land will begin forced trade with Ryuuzou's land."  
Suddenly, Mia couldn't tolerate listening to their idle chatter. Who knew what  
Seisuke had done to her friend? She fled hastily out of the kitchen and searched for the  
entrance to the dungeon that Arden showed her on the tour.  
  
Sage's prison cell  
A little while later  
  
"Sage? Sage?" she called out in a moderate tone as she dragged herself through  
the dim stinky dungeon hallways. She didn't want to shout too loudly for fear that a  
soldier above will hear her.  
Then, she heard his voice. "Mia?" Sage sounded pessimistic at first, but realized  
she was truly there. "Mia!"  
She immediately ran to the doorway where his voice came from. What happened  
to him? Was he alright? Why did Seisuke do this? "Sage! Sage, I'm here," she said,  
calming down her racing worries.  
"Are you okay?!" Sage asked concernedly. "Seisuke didn't hurt you, did he!?"   
His own concern demanded an answer from her.  
"No, no. He didn't hurt me. I'm fine. He treated me like a guest." Yet he... Mia  
looked through the cell bars. The flaming torch on the wall behind her illuminated the  
area and into his cell. Oh, god... Something was wrong with Sage. Something wrong  
with his eyes, but she couldn't tell what. "What did he do to you? What does he want?"  
"He wants my armor. He got it or at least a copy of it."  
Mia felt like screaming. Her legs were weak and a sick liquid-like sensation settled  
in her stomach as she then knew what was wrong with Sage. His eyes were unfocused; he  
was also blind. This was all her fault. She told Seisuke that Halo would be the only thing  
to cure him. If Seisuke didn't know about the armor, Sage would be safe... "I'll try to get  
you out of here, okay?"  
A roughly armored hand grabbed her arm. She screamed in shock as the soldier  
started to haul her away. What would happen to her now? What would Seisuke do when  
he knew she was no longer ignorant of his actions? When youja got her out of the  
dungeon, he turned her around to face him. The soldier was Arden.  
"You weren't supposed to know about this," he growled.  
"Arden, this is wrong," she said, feeling foolish.  
"You put yourself in a very dangerous position." The youja sighed. "I suppose I  
should explain this mess, shouldn't I?"  
"An explanation will be wonderful," she said in a serious tone. She trusted Arden  
the most out of everyone in the netherworld. She was unable to help Sage now.  
"Ten years ago, Talpa finally learned of a way to determine who the prophesied  
Ronin warriors would be. The results were vague, but narrowed down the number of  
potential Ronin warriors. He sent his soldiers and warlords to kill them before they were  
old enough to defend themselves. The Ancient One and the tiger were prevented most of  
the attempts however they were unable to save one child - Seisuke Date. I didn't know  
Seisuke had a twin when I heard that a future bearer for Halo was caught. When I learned  
the potential Ronin was merely placed on the streets and not killed, I searched for him and  
found Seisuke sleeping in a pile of filth in one of the slums. I estimate he was by himself  
for a month. His wounds were infected and the dead skin needed to be burned away. His  
lice problem was so terrible that his entire head needed to be shaved. I trained him to be a  
Ronin warrior because I believed he was the only person capable of wearing Halo. I  
explained the prophecy to him and told him his purpose was to be a Ronin warrior and  
that one day he will kill Talpa. That information comforted him. He also wanted to kill  
Anubis, the warlord who blinded him. Well, then I learned he had a twin, Sage. I stopped  
training Seisuke to be a Ronin warrior. His twin was much more qualified. I continued to  
raise him under my supervision. I took care of him for so long that his entire upbringing  
became my responsibility. For a few years after I quit training him, he acted as though his  
life had no purpose. I suppose I took his purpose away from him, but I hated seeing him  
grow up like that. I believed that if he had a high status, he would feel useful as though he  
had a new purpose. I encouraged him to become a lord and, with Saberstryke's aid, we  
took over a small part of land. Despite his handicap, Seisuke was and still is an excellent  
swordsman. The battles gave him something good to focus on and those recurring  
nightmares were less frequent. I thought I was doing a good thing at the time."  
When Arden finished confessing, Mia sighed and placed her right hand over her  
face to touch both her temples. She had a really bad headache. "Seisuke is suffering from  
severe mental trauma. Putting him into a fight and giving him power made him worse."  
"I know that now. I wish I recognized my mistake sooner, but it's too late now.   
You need to be careful with your actions. He is dependent upon you. He values your  
opinion of him more than anyone else."  
Mia sighed again. This was true... Seisuke was unpredictable and no one knew  
what his reactions would be. but Sage... "Sage needs help," she said. "We need to help   
Sage." Her head felt numb.  
"I'm sorry, but I am loyal to Seisuke no matter what and he wishes for his brother  
to remain in the dungeon."  
Mia was unsurprised at his answer. She was trapped in the castle, unable to free  
Sage. Her only hope was to convince Seisuke of how wrong his actions were. 


	6. Chapter6

Yes! Plot-twist! Insanity! I've been waiting to get this over with. Hopefully, I'll finish it before the new year!  
  
  
"She knows, doesn't she? Mia knows."  
"Yes, my lord. I have posted guards and restricted her access to certain areas of  
the castle."  
"I was dreading this... hmph. I just guessed, really. She would find out sooner or  
later. I prefered sooner so that I can get this worry over with. I need to go see Mia." He  
walked past the youja.  
"Are you certain that is a wise course of action?"  
"I never back away from the path that I choose. My responsibilities are a result of  
my paths. I chose them and I accept them. Good things will also be a result of my current  
path."  
  
Mia's room  
  
"Come in," she said ruefully after hearing a knock on her door.  
Seisuke walked inside and didn't bother to sit down. "I want to explain my  
actions."  
"Oh, god..." The situation was still difficult to believe. He was wearing mystical  
armor! and it looked exactly like Sage's armor of Halo!  
"My... armor, I suppose?" She was sad because of him and he wanted her to be  
happy. Perhaps if she heard his reasons, she would forgive him and not be so sad, but he  
found himself babbling, "I never expected Sage would lose his sight. I don't know how it  
happened, but I never wanted him to encounter the darkness, but this is a good thing!"  
"A good thing!?"  
"Yes!" Seisuke took a deep breath to calm himself, but he was still full of intense  
emotions. "We agreed that you will stay in the castle until I regain my sight. I will always  
be blind." He sensed that she was shivering and she was afraid... afraid of him... She  
comforted him more then once when he had those terrifying nightmares and he wanted to  
comfort her in return for her kindness. He walked over to Mia and as he lightly placed his  
hands on her elbows, he said, "You promised to stay with me until I could see again, but  
my condition is uncurable so you will be with me forever." He smiled kind-heartedly.  
Her instinctive, unexpected reaction surprised both her and him. Mia removed her  
arms from his weak grasp and slapped Seisuke. She regretted her action instantly. At  
first, he appeared to be petrified. Then, he turned around and briskly walked out. Mia  
was too stunned and scared of her own action to berate herself. He was still mentally  
unstable and she just made the situation and his condition worse.  
  
The next day, noon  
Lord Seisuke's castle  
  
After Mia hit him, Seisuke paced hastily yet aimlessly through the hallways, trying  
to get away from the knowledge that she hated him. When he calmed down, he somewhat  
convinced himself that Mia was merely angry at him. Then, instead of sleeping, he spent  
the entire night in his mind's void, however this time his truamatic past no longer filled the  
void. His loneliness and failures filled its place.  
When the night turned into day, he resumed his usual schedule. He went to the  
kitchen and dining room to eat breakfast alone, purposely avoiding Mia the whole day.   
Then, he was kept constantly informed about the status of his land. Then, he ate a small  
lunch. The entire day was stereotypically normal for Seisuke...  
...until Arden told him that the Ronin Warriors were in his land, following the  
metaphysical sensation of Sage's armor to his location. Unsure of what action to take  
concerning them and halfway into the void, he proceeded towards his twin's dungeon cell.  
As he entered the dungeon, he heard a voice near his brother's prison. The voice  
was male, couldn't be Mia, so he paid no attention to it and remained in the void until he  
noticed that the person spoke lowly with assurance as though convincing Sage of  
something. Who was talking to Sage? Fear and realization rippled through him.   
"Ryouzou!" Seisuke yelled out, running hastily towards the cell. That was why Lord  
Ryouzou questioned him about gaining the light!   
Before he reached the room, the ground in front of him exploded. He reeled back,  
coughing from the smoke. Judging by the smell, the floor was charred. He walked  
backwards to obtain more breathable air. His foot brushed against something  
light-weight. Curious, he bent down to pick it up and felt a piece of rolled parchment. He  
touched the seal that tied the parchment together; Ryouzou's seal. Immediately, he  
searched the dungeon. Sage was gone. He ordered the entire castle to be searched. Sage  
was not there. Mia was informed although he didn't have the strength to tell her by  
himself. Although Seisuke lacked family loyalty towards his brother, Sage's  
disappearance complicated already troubled matters.  
The situation was terrible. Mia was angry at him. The Ronin Warriors, Mia's  
friends, were coming to attack him because he tried to get his own armor. Ryouzou was  
planning something against him and had Sage... Ready to accept total defeat, he sat down  
with his head resting in his hands as Arden read the letter.  
The summary of the letter was this:  
Sage would be Ryouzou's warrior either willingly or unwillingly and Ryouzou  
would kill Seisuke.  
  
Seisuke sighed after hearing the letter. "This is all because I wanted to see again.   
Ironic, isn't it?"  
Arden felt a pang of guilt.  
"I think I'll kill myself," Seisuke muttered. "Everyone wants to kill me anyway.   
I'd rather not give them the chance; I'll already be dead."  
"This is a way out of this." The youja wanted to be a positive influence in the  
teenager's life unlike raising him passively as he had in the past.  
"How? Everyone is against me." Seisuke looked either hopeful or eager for a  
clever escape from his troubles.  
"When the Ronin Warriors come here, we'll act like we never had Sage in the first  
place. We'll act like Ryouzou orginally kidnapped Sage. Ryouzou has him now, so  
they'll never realize that he was here. You will team up with the Ronin Warriors and kill  
Ryouzou. You will get rid of two enemies."  
"Good idea, but Mia..."  
"I know you will discover a way to prevent her from telling them."  
Seisuke grinned, already getting ideas. His confidence was restored. "Good.   
Now, let me figure out the rest of the plan. We need to explain my armor..." 


	7. Chapter7

My comeback! Contains some angst and including humor! I'll try to finish this up real quick. I've been focusing more on my orginal story rather than this fic and I'm not sure what to do next… hehehe.  
  
Everything was perfect so far and that reassurance calmed his nervous worries. The Ronin Warriors would arrive and believe everything he said. Then, they would kill Ryouzou. Aside from his animosity with the lord, Ryouzou needed to die anyway. Kayura knew the youja wanted Talpa's old lands, but the only way to keep villains in check is to kill them. Why is every youja lord obsessed with being the new emperor? Silly, but pleasant idea, really. He was simply content with killing all of his enemies and claiming their land. Being the next Talpa was absolutely pathetic. He wanted Mia more than any of that though.  
  
Mia… She hated what he did to Sage. She wouldn't tell the Ronin Warriors, would she? That would mess up his plans terribly. But Mia also hated secrets and lies so he had to tell her. He would lie to the others, but not her.  
  
He pressed his ear to her door. Hearing breathing and movement from inside, he opened it. An unexpected chain of events followed; Mia screamed, Seisuke unsheathed his sword since screams only meant danger. Strange, he didn't sense the presence of any monsters.  
  
"Seisuke," Mia rasped out, catching her breath, "It's okay… Put up your sword…"  
  
He obeyed and asked, "You screamed. Why?"  
  
"You just startled me, that's all. And I was changing out of my pajamas into my clothes…"  
  
"And you feared I would see you?" Seisuke chuckled.  
  
"Well, I would feel better if you turned around so that you weren't facing me."  
  
Smiling, he turned around, but the black scenery never changed.  
  
Oh, great, Mia thought, Not only do I have a psychopathic teenager to deal with, he also a hormonal psychopathic teenager!  
  
Seisuke spoke, "I came here to inform you that the Ronin Warriors will arrive tomorrow."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Apparently, they sensed Sage's armor in my castle. Because I now have a duplicate, they sense my armor and are still on the same course."  
  
"Oh, shit."  
  
"I already discussed the matter with Arden. The Ronin Warriors will be informed that Sage is locked in Ryouzou's castle and we will retrieve him."  
  
"And how to you plan to do that?" She sounded cynical.  
  
"Those minor details still require planning, Mia, but Sage will be retrieved. Everything else has already been taken care of."  
  
A room in Lord Ryouzou's castle  
  
Pain accompanied him in his sleep, but he finally groaned over his misfortune when he awoke.  
  
"How are feeling?" A guttural inquired.  
  
"Terrible," was the reply.  
  
"How are your eyes?"  
  
"Who are you?" Sage suddenly realized he didn't know this person.  
  
"I am Lord Ryouzou and I am an enemy of Lord Seisuke."  
  
"Seisuke is my brother." Memories flooded his mind. "Oh, god…" Instinctively, he leaned on one side near the floor and retched. If he wasn't rescued all those years ago, he would've suffered Seisuke's same fate, would've been as morbidly insane as him.  
  
"Obviously any family loyalty and honor towards him has been revoked since he forced you into your condition."  
  
Sage pushed his head into the pillow on the bed. Everything was so wrong! Once again, he was living a normal life with normal family problems… Mia was still in Seisuke's castle, still in danger. "I need to rescue Mia. I need to go to the mortal world and prepare my friends, the Ronin Warriors, for battle."  
  
"I am afraid that is not possible," Ryouzou sounded aggrieved. "The Ronin Warriors have already been located in Seisuke's territory and you are certainly in no condition to fight. How are your eyes?"  
  
With a sigh, Sage lifted his head up. "I'm blind. So, why don't you go send a messenger or something? Why are in Seisuke's territory?" Sage reminded himself to meditate sometime to help himself think clearly again.  
  
"Seisuke plans to convince them that he is innocent and that I am the true evil behind this situation."  
  
"So, we need to send a messenger to him and tell them the truth unless you already tried."  
  
"I did and I failed. Seisuke keeps the borders patrolled tightly. His lies are very convincing."  
  
"My friends will believe me when I tell them the truth."  
  
"Maybe," Ryouzou stood up from the chair. "But for now, regain your strength. We will know more tomorrow."  
  
The next day  
  
Entrance to Seisuke's castle  
  
Finally. The castle loomed in sight and soon, everything, or at least a lot of things, would be answered.  
  
"I see him!" Sai called out from the lead.  
  
"Sage or Seisuke?" Kento muttered. He was always the easiest to talk to, confide in. Everyone viewed him as a best friend so he felt most responsible for whatever bad things happened or will happen to Sage. "They are identical twins, you know."  
  
By then, the others also saw him in the armor of Halo, but as they approached closer, they quickly realized the person wasn't Sage. Maybe he once looked like Sage, but any good resemblance was perfectly marred. His skull-like eye sockets lacked lids and the fleshy skin, surrounded by small jagged scars. A large gaping scar filled most of the left side of his face.  
  
"Greetings, Ronin Warriors," the person said in a voice identical to Sage's, but could never be his. "I am Seisuke of Halo. I have been informed of your arrival a few days ago. Is my brother with you?" 


	8. Chapter8

One more chapter of this and we are finished!  
  
Outside the castle  
  
"We. we don't know where Sage is. We- we sensed his armor here," Sai mumbled out. Everyone was mortified at the hideous mutilated duplicate of the Ronin Warrior of Wisdom. "I am not surprised," Seisuke sighed angrily. "Your armor does look a lot like Sage's armor. How'd you get it? The Ancient One only made nine." Ryo decided to openly express his suspicions to Seisuke. He was the leader. His duty was to be strong and support the group. Did Seisuke kill Sage and get Halo? Seisuke smiled, "I assure you that I did not kill my brother if that is what you were thinking. I have a theory on why the Ancient One might make an extra of the same armor. Everyone who wears a Ronin armor, correct?" He waited for a response and got none. "Well?" "Yes, you are correct," Rowen stammered out. The Ronin Warriors had nodded mutely, not accustomed to being near a blind man. "Well, since Sage and I were born as identical twins, our ability to wear Halo was also equal. Therefore, since there were two people born to wear Halo, why not make two Halo armors?" "So you're saying that the Ancient One only made armors of nine different types?" Rowen wondered. "He certainly had the power to do that."  
  
In Mia's room  
  
Kento did not like Seisuke and did not like the castle. However, he never liked anything that had anything in common with the nether world. Arden's constant, hovering presence while they were with Seisuke unnerved them. Seisuke was Sage's identical twin! If Sage was captured by the Dynasty instead, he would be exactly like his demented twin. The Ronins agreed unanimously to speak with Mia before discussing Sage further. They wanted to know what Mia knew and compare her words with Seisuke's words. "Are you okay, Mia? Has he been treating you right?" Ryo asked her immediately. "Um, yeah, I'm fine," she replied quickly, but uneasily, "I'm just a little shook up about what happened to Sage. He was kidnapped and I don't know much else." They remained with her for a few moments until they were certain that she was okay. Then they left to find Seisuke again and to help Sage. Mia suddenly asked before they exited completely, "Sai, can you stay with me for a little while?" "Okay," Sai shrugged and looked at the others curiously, "I shouldn't be gone too long. Go ahead."  
  
Seisuke's throne room  
  
"My only theory as to my brother's whereabouts is that he was kidnapped by Lord Ryouzou," Seisuke told them. "Who's Ryouzou?" Ryo asked. "My rival. He hates me completely." Rowen asked Seisuke, "Shouldn't we tell Kayura and the former warlords about this? They are responsible for controlling the nether realm and it is our responsibility to inform them about rivalries and feuds." In addition, if Seisuke at first thought Sage was with us, why did Mia know Sage was kidnapped? Seisuke would get the information first and Mia second. We talked with Mia immediately after we met Seisuke and there was no time in between for her to get the information. Seisuke spoke smoothly, "Kayura and the others don't need to be troubled with our predicament, especially when we are fully capable of handling the problem by ourselves." Suddenly, the door flew open. Everyone grabbed their weapons in shock and surprise, but relaxed their grip somewhat when they saw Sai of the Torrent trip over his own rambling feet and sprawl across the floor. Arden ran in Sai's direction as though to help him, but ran past him and looked out of the swinging doors. "There's no threat," the youja said, confused at the Ronin's abrupt and loud entrance. Then, he helped Sai to his feet. "I'm sorry," Sai apologized. "I just wanted to get here as fast as I could." Seisuke sighed, "We were just discussing Sage. I fear Ryouzou would use him against us." "How?" Ryo demanded an answer. "Would he use a nether spirit?" "No. There are more dangerous ways of converting someone."  
  
Near the entrance of Seisuke's castle  
  
Seisuke heard the Ronin Warriors approach him. Everything was going according to plan - Arden's plan, essentially. His entire life was possible because of Arden and Seisuke felt a strange sense of. gratitude. Arden was the only good constant in his entire life. Mia merely filled a fragment. Arden always supported his decisions, offered advise, and cared about his well-being. "I believe there is something wrong with Sai of the Torrent that could hinder us," Seisuke told the youja and sensed his apprehension. He wanted to thank Arden somehow for his help and to repay him for all his troubles, "Don't worry. I will handle him." Sensing an increase in Arden's worry, Seisuke smiled wistfully and tried to joke, "I won't injure him nor kill him."  
  
Ryouzou's castle  
  
Ryouzou said to Sage, "I fear your brother has decided to attack us. He moves against us as we speak and the Ronin Warriors are following his every command." Sage sighed. He was still blind and he was angry that his friends allied themselves with his evil twin! "I must go to them. I must tell my friends that they're being mislead." "They are beyond saving!" Ryouzou told him again that night. Sage scowled. "You don't know my friends."  
  
On the way to Ryouzou's castle  
  
Sai was crying and no one knew why. Something really upset him, but Sai was not crying because of whatever upset him. If everyone ignored him, he would not cry. For some reason Rowen saw how disturbed Sai looked and said, "Don't cry." Then, Sai started crying. Kento tried to ignore his friend. Sai was probably disturbed because of Seisuke's ghastly appearance and Sage's disappearance and he always cried whenever people tell him not to cry. Late at night when they were surveying a good place to camp, Kento saw Seisuke walk over to Sai. He did not hear what they said, but he recognized their tones. Seisuke sounded composed and threatening. Sai was almost hysterical, but restricted his voice. Seisuke walked away, looking very angry and perplexed. Kento was too tired and scared of Sage's twin to ask what the conversation was about.  
  
Ryouzou's castle  
  
Sage was nowhere to be found. He never attempted to sleep. Maddened with rage, Ryouzou stormed out of his castle. The brat ran off towards his brother and the Ronin Warriors!  
  
On the way to Ryouzou's castle Early morning  
  
Sai's urgent shout instantly awoke the Ronin Warriors. "Someone's coming!" he yelled. Everyone instantly pulled out their weapons and got into their battle stances. "Seisuke!" a familiar voice called out cautiously. Rowen shouted to the approaching person, "Sage!" The Ronin Warriors were overjoyed yet also wary. Seisuke sighed and move towards his brother. He remembered what Sai told him last night and he needed to take responsibility for his actions. The others were still blind to the truth. Ah, there were many different forms of blindness! How strange. Seisuke knew exactly what would happen because of his actions but he continued to feel comfort and gratitude for everyone who helped him willingly and knowingly. Sai ran next to him. "You are very obedient," Seisuke said, remembering last night's conversation. He stepped in front of Sai. "Sage is my brother. I must take care of him." Then Sage came into view. The two twins with identical armors stood face-to-face with each other, hearing and almost feeling the other's breathing. How strange that calmness can also be tense! "Seisuke?" Sage called out. "Yes." Then Sage struck his brother with his big sword. Seisuke barely blocked in time and the force of the blow knocked him down. Sai instantly stood defensively in front of Seisuke and blocked Sage's sword repeatedly until the nodatchi and the yari were stuck together. Sage pressed his sword closer to his opponent's head. "Sage, stop this!" Sai yelled under the strain. "Sai?" Sage wondered, confused. The weapons parted as he backed away shakily. "Is everyone here?" The Ronin Warriors faced a new horror. Sage was blind and they did not know why. 


	9. Chapter9

Here is the ending! I hope it is good. I honestly did not know how to end it. The next fanfic that I'm working on which makes me proud is "White Inferno"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sai breathed heavily, not from exhaustion but from the stress and the unexpected revelation. "Sage. put your sword down. Your brother is not evil."  
  
Sage put his sword in front of himself defensively. "No, you're wrong."  
  
"What happened?" Rowen called out to Sage while Ryo and Kento approached them, ready to separate Seisuke and Sage if a fight started, uncertain of the purpose of the recent events and determined to find out.  
  
Sage grimaced and shouted, "I am blind. And my brother is responsible!"  
  
Seisuke stifled a chuckle. Oh, for once everything was so clear! "Sage, brother, do you truly think Ryouzou is better than me? He wants my land because with my land, he can summon more nether soldiers and more nether spirits. With my land, he can become stronger than Talpa. He is using you."  
  
Ryo snapped at the demented twin, "Did you blind Sage?"  
  
"Oh, yes. I wanted his armor. His armor was supposed to be mine, or so I thought. I thought his armor would help me see again, but nothing can. My curse is much stronger than the armor. The armor did attempt to heal me, but it was unable. However, in the process, it failed to recognize Sage and I as separate people and thus it gave us a shared curse. Well, that is what Mia said at least. I actually heard the information second-hand from Sai."  
  
"Mia? Sai?" Ryo stared at the Ronin Warrior of Trust incredulously.  
  
Seisuke grinned. "Welcome to the nether world where everyone is a puppet! Yes, I lied to you. Ryouzou lied to Sage, I believe. Mia lied to you and Sai kept secrets. A secret is the same as a lie. Now, who can you trust?" Seisuke stood up, puzzled. Did he really tell them everything? "I have no use for this armor. Sage, I never wanted you to endure my same hardships. Death is better than this darkness, yet there are many, many different forms of darkness. Within this week, everyone has suffered some form of blindness." Seisuke sighed. He never spoke so much of his mind until now. "I deserve my fate. This armor that I am wearing is simply a copy, using half of Halo's energy. Sage, do you wish to return to my castle and restore your armor to its complete power?"  
  
Sage dropped his sword. His voice faltered, "You're- you're lying! Again. Why would you want to help me now?"  
  
Seisuke chuckled. "Because I have no choice anyway! Your friends are willing to kill me, right? I never worried about death when I was younger, but now the idea of dying is rather unappealing. Also, Sage, I meant what I said. This armor is useless to me. Is Ryouzou here yet? He will certainly come after his puppet by himself since Kayura issued a tight restriction on the amount of nether soldiers that a lord can have."  
  
Everyone stared at the eccentric lord. Was Seisuke telling the truth? Although their varying experiences created vast differences between Sage and Seisuke, they were essentially the same. They never backed down once they made a decision there were no more facts to gather.  
  
"Either way, Sage, you will receive what you now want. Complete restoration of your armor and your sight."  
  
After regarding the situation carefully, Sage said, "I will trust you at this moment. Your words seem honest enough." With a sigh, he asked, "Will someone please guide me?"  
  
Ryo grabbed Sage's wrist. "I'm here."  
  
"Everyone?" He was happy to hear the voice of a friend.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Suddenly Rowen shouted out, "I see a youja coming!" Then, the Ronin Warrior of Life was perplexed, "Um, Dais and Kale are also coming. Wait, they're going after the youja."  
  
Seisuke told him, "Kayura and her dogs probably heard rumors about us. The youja is Ryouzou and he will soon be killed by Dais and Kale." He sighed ruefully. He wanted to kill Ryouzou, however he had no desire to aid the former warlords and at least he could hear the sounds of battle. He was also suddenly exhausted. Filled with abrupt good humor, Seisuke exclaimed, "A pity that Ryouzou's grand scheme has to end so anti- climatically!"  
  
Kayura's castle A few days later  
  
Everyone was forced to explain everything concerning the actions of Seisuke, Ryouzou and Sage. Kayura was not pleased with what had happened. Seisuke was furious and joyful at the same time. In the end, Ryouzou's land was divided equally amongst all the lords. After a few days of research and hard labor, Kayura and Mia were able to restore Sage's armor and thus his sight without killing Seisuke. Mia agreed to stay with Seisuke until his nightmares went away.  
  
Kayura concluded the meeting by saying to Sage and Seisuke, "I suggest you two have a long talk together. With communication, your attitudes towards each other will be smoothed out and humbled."  
  
Seisuke never liked Kayura for two reasons. 1) She was descended from the clan of the Ancients. 2) Anubis sacrificed his life for her and he wanted to kill Anubis. As they left the meeting and walked down a hallway, Seisuke said to Sage, "Kayura treats us like children yet she is truly insecure. What do we have to say after everything that has occurred between us?"  
  
Sage replied, "I will forgive you. Eventually. You were misguided and you weren't thinking clearly, right?"  
  
"Somewhat. My heart is still wicked and filled with anger. The cleansing of my heart will take a long time."  
  
Sage remembered his mother's comments about how they were so similar that they knew what the other was thinking like telepathy. "Everyone misses you. Except for the younger sister, Satuki, but she does not remember anything about that day. Everyone thinks of your constantly. Mother would be happy if-"  
  
"NO!!" Seisuke shouted, spinning towards his brother. Oh, he wanted to be near his family again, but. Were they really his family? "I was raised in the nether world. Your home is no longer my home. Mother will be pleased when you return and she will put me in the past. She must put her memories and her hopes for me aside because she will never comprehend who I am. She expects me to act as though I was raised in her world, but no."  
  
Perhaps they did not have telepathy, but a total understanding of each other. Sage could not stay angry with his brother because he knew he would commit the same crimes if he were in his brother's state of mental unrest. "Well, we could set up an appointment for you at a doctor's office. Surgery can be done to give you new eyes. Our family won't know."  
  
Seisuke tensed his muscles and hissed, "Again, no! I learned recently that the worst form of blindness is lies and secrets, especially deceiving oneself. Not viewing people justly and darkness of the soul are equally terrible and hideous forms of blindness. I do not want to be blind to the people around me. Because I already began to weave through the strands with which I ensnared myself, I am freeing myself from my prison." Arden helped him and took care of him with little thought for himself, yet Seisuke never realized and never acknowledged his kindness.  
  
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Sage asked.  
  
Seisuke grinned wistfully. "That, dear brother, will be the only thing in which you shall remain in the dark." 


End file.
